BONN (dpa-AFX) - On Friday, the Federal Network Agency presented new plans for the expansion of the electricity transmission grid, the so-called electricity highways. The plans include five new direct current connections on land, each with a capacity of two gigawatts. Three of these will run north-south and two east-west. Further lines are also planned to connect wind farms at sea as well as substations and switchgear.

According to the authority, the so-called Electricity Network Development Plan 2023-2037/2045 (NEP Electricity) defines the urgent need for expansion in the electricity transmission grid. This was preceded by a months-long process in which all interest groups and the public had the opportunity to comment. The plan, which has now been "confirmed" by the Federal Network Agency, serves as the basis for a new version of the so-called Federal Requirements Plan, which is set out in a law.

Expansion will cost around 320 billion euros by 2045

On Friday, the authority put the total cost of all planned expansion measures up to 2045 at around 320 billion euros. As a rule, all costs will be passed on to all electricity consumers via the grid fees. "All costs are amortized over decades, so only a correspondingly lower proportion is included in the grid fees each year," explained a spokesperson.

The expansion of the so-called extra-high-voltage grid is about ensuring that new lines bring climate-neutral electricity to where it is needed - primarily from the north to the south. The plan describes which transmission grid is necessary for a complete conversion of the energy system to renewable energies by 2045. In the regions, electricity distribution grids with lower voltages will then take over the energy supplied by the "electricity highways" and transmit it to the points of consumption.

Müller: "Electricity grid for the energy transition"

"This grid development plan shows for the first time what kind of electricity grid we need to complete the energy transition," explained Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Government, in a statement. All projects proposed by the four transmission system operators had been carefully examined. "For a climate-neutral electricity system, we need a considerable number of additional power lines by 2045," he emphasized. Only the start and end points of the lines have been defined in the grid development plan. "The exact route of the lines has not yet been determined, but will be determined in subsequent procedural steps."

For onshore expansion, the new NDP Electricity includes around 4,800 kilometers of new lines and around 2,500 kilometers of reinforcement of existing connections compared to the existing Federal Requirements Plan.

Several direct current connections planned

The five new lines, so-called high-voltage direct current transmission links, are to run from Schleswig-Holstein to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (DC32), from Lower Saxony to Hesse (DC35), from Lower Saxony to Saxony (DC40), from Lower Saxony to Baden-Württemberg (DC41) and from Schleswig-Holstein to Baden-Württemberg (DC42). Two further HVDC connections are to be added as extensions of two projects. They are called DC40plus and DC42plus and will also have a capacity of two gigawatts each. The new NDP also contains 116 additional AC connections compared to the current Federal Requirements Plan.

The expansion of the transmission grid will help to reduce the high costs of bottleneck measures in the medium to long term because more electricity can be transported from the generation centers to the consumption centers, the four grid operators explained in a joint statement.

Additional line needed to supply Bavaria

The Federal Network Agency also includes a project known as P540, which envisages an alternating current line between Thuringia and Bavaria. Its calculations had shown that additional transmission capacity would be required to supply Bavaria. The transmission system operators had therefore subsequently submitted the project.

According to its own information, the Federal Network Agency is preparing an environmental report on the Federal Requirements Plan, which includes the expected environmental impact of the projects. Publication is planned for the end of May.

In the grid development plan, the four transmission system operators Amprion, TransnetBW, 50Hertz and Tennet determine every two years which measures are required for reliable grid operation. By the end of June, they will present an initial draft for the next NDP 2025, which will once again look ahead to the years 2037 and 2045./tob/DP/ngu